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I've got the Big Angus Fly creek ul 1.It is free standing and yes u have to use tent stakes to set it up,I can do it with six but I take seven just in case.The tent is light,with seven ti stakes and foot print it weighs thirty eight oz.I weighed it on my scale.It's a compact tent,not much room if u keep your panniers inside.Overall its a pretty good tent

I have the Spifire 2 and used it this summer for a ten day trip. I am 6'0" 225lbs and it was perfect for me. I kept all my stuff inside at night and still had plenty of room. I could easily sit-up in it. You have to make your own foot print becuase there is not one out there. I purchased my tent on e-bay is had been used once. I got a great deal. Good Luck!

@rifleman - Thanks for the input - The fly creek is on the lightest / smallest side of what I would consider. How long was your tour? Would you consider it a TransAm route worthy tent? - Note, I am 5' 9" tall, and dont care if my bags are inside with me. The UL2 isn't much heavier, and my sister may join me for a week or two, so that might mater (she is 4' 11 9/10" tall )

@dbbcpa - what do YOU find the weight to be? Did you ever use it where you couldn't put stakes in the ground (concrete)?

I have the Spifire 2 and used it this summer for a ten day trip. I am 6'0" 225lbs and it was perfect for me. I kept all my stuff inside at night and still had plenty of room. I could easily sit-up in it. You have to make your own foot print becuase there is not one out there. I purchased my tent on e-bay is had been used once. I got a great deal. Good Luck!

Two things to note on that.

First you may want to consider if you need room to take your gear inside. People go either way on this. If using panniers, I personally find that I prefer to leave everything in the panniers and on the bike except what I actually need to sleep or to get dressed in the morning. Oh, and also whatever goes in the bear box or bear bag.

Second, you may consider whether you need a footprint or not. Most folks opt for one, but I have found them to be extra surplus weight that really isnt needed. I threw mine away on the TA and have done a lot of touring since, never missing it. I find that my tents fail in some other way than wearing out the floor any way, but if the floor did wear out I would just patch it until I needed to use a groundsheet and start using one only at that point.

@rifleman - Thanks for the input - The fly creek is on the lightest / smallest side of what I would consider. How long was your tour? Would you consider it a TransAm route worthy tent? - Note, I am 5' 9" tall, and dont care if my bags are inside with me. The UL2 isn't much heavier, and my sister may join me for a week or two, so that might mater (she is 4' 11 9/10" tall )

@dbbcpa - what do YOU find the weight to be? Did you ever use it where you couldn't put stakes in the ground (concrete)?

My trip was four weeks.I'm 5'11" and I kept my panniets inside with me.It's a cramped tent but don't care I wanted light weight,if I had it to do over again is get the bigger one.I didn't have any problems but a little condensation.As far as a trans am worthy tent ,I'd get something a little more stout I guess the word would be.The fabric is awfully thin and will definitely suggest a footprint.

Having done the TA, most of the ST, the Pacific Coast, the southern half of the Sierra Cascades, and some other stuff, I personally would use my lightest tent that was suitable on a long tour like the TA. Weight is more important if anything on long tours.

Did you ever use it where you couldn't put stakes in the ground (concrete)?

On the TA you are very likely to want to pitch on concrete quite a bit. For that either freestanding tent or a tent (like the Spitfire) that can be staked out with one anchor point on each end is the way to go. There are a lot of town parks where it will be nice to set the tent up under a pavilion roof. That way you can leave the fly off and have the extra ventilation.

Thanks all for all the input. Sounds like I now have enough into to compare options. From this I think it's go as light as possible within cost constraints. I need a new set of rear panniers, likely should get a lighter, not as warm sleeping bag, and a tent. Plus air fare, plus, plus...

So I'll be looking at the total package for cost vs. weight.

That said, at the economy end it looks like the spitfire is the winner; at the weight weenie end, the Big Agnes Fly creek.That is, just over 2 # for just over $300, or just over 3 # for just over $100 - that's about $13 / oz...

That said, at the economy end it looks like the spitfire is the winner; at the weight weenie end, the Big Agnes Fly creek.That is, just over 2 # for just over $300, or just over 3 # for just over $100 - that's about $13 / oz...

Take into account that you can save a good bit of weight on the Spitfire by getting rid of the very heavy stakes and getting some MSR Needle Stakes. Also I think it comes with 8 stakes but pitches fine with 4. I would take either 4 or 6 needle stakes.

Well folks, I decided on the Fly Creek UL2 - only 4 oz over the 1, and while tight, will suffice for the 2 weeks or so my sister joins me. And still one of the lightest available. Mostly freestanding too. Checking on line I saw that it seems that noone discounts Big Agnes, so I went to REI and used my 20% off one item, and dividend, and a couple $200 Visa points cards. I now have my tent.

Now for a new lighter sleeping bag (my 20* Marmot Sawtooth is way too much) and a new set of rear panniers to replace the pair I have been commuting to work with for 15 years (and which have holes big enough to stick my finger through).

I had figured this trip was a once in a lifetime dream, but by the time I have been geared up, I better plan on doing it again!

Just got a North Face 2 person, 3 season traditional styled mesh/vestible end-opening single door 4.25lbs for $140.

It's 44in at feet and 55 inches at the door end which I mention as this is why it's a pound lighter than the 2 door, more squared version which is 55 inches at both ends with side doors which adds the pound.

Tents like this 1 end door seem to do better in the wind as you set them up feet into the wind thus sheltering the door end which is tunneled to be fatter than the narrower feet end.

Tent great for me solo but sleeps a woman too but forget be less than intimate with two people in these smaller 2 people tents.

Lighter wieght tarp doubles as the ground cloth and the woolrich blanket makes star seeing without the vestibule.

I don't sleep in the tent unless it's bugs and rainy time though, love open air sleeping when bikepacking

If your looking for a lighter sleeping bag u might want to look at the Montbell UL super spiral down hugger 3.its not cheap but mine weighs just under 21oz on my scale.Its a 30 degree bag but I used it in the lower 20s.It's really comfortable and it packs down to a small loaf bread.